Katrina didn't destroy Louisiana's economy after all

Despite the horrors of Katrina and the subsequent departure of at least
a handful of movie productions from New Orleans and its devastated
surroundings, Louisiana "state officials expect to exceed last year's
[spending and employment] numbers." Last year, the roughly two dozen or
so productions that visited Louisiana created more than 3000 jobs and
added nearly $400 million dollars the state's economy; though
productions have been chased from New Orleans, movies are rapidly
returning to other parts of the state, and jobs and money are fully
expected follow.

Currently filming just north of New Orleans is the epic bouncer flick Road
House 2, the crew of which is largely Louisiana-based. Needless to
say, with so many people struggling to find work, the production has
been welcomed with open arms. Also scheduled to start filming soon are
the Denzel Washington thriller Deja Vu, which will be braving New
Orleans beginning in February, and Disney's The Guardian, which will
start up in Shreveport next month.